A few days ago I read a post on here about cleaning out our machine. Well today as I was zooming along on a binding for a quilt my DH wants to give to a co-worker whos wife had a baby my machine started acting up. So I tried to do the usual lint cleaning but it still would just not work right. I remembered them saying to take either the back or bottom off, well, mine is on the side. Lordy me.....and then I realized also that I had jammed some of that lint onto that wheel while trying to get it out.......If I had taken a picture I guarantee you it would have been a whole hand full of lint and that is no exageration. I am still trying to get some of it out but can tell a big difference already. I think I am gonna have to go get that canned air to be able to get the rest out. Told DH I probably just saved him about $100...........

It's almost embarrassing to see all that lint, isnt it? Kind of like looking under the refrigerator.

It does collect down there LOL I am amazed at how much and how quickly it accumulates :roll:
Good you thought to check... maybe freeing up $100 for new fabric :wink: :D:D:D

glad you cleaned your lint out of your machine

PLEASE don't buy canned air - it will only end up blowing some of the dust/fluff into your machine. Try using a vacuum instead. At least you will suck it out rather than blowing it into the works. I bought a small, cheap hand held one specially for this purpose, but you could equally use one of the attachements on a standard size vacuum.

I saw that post too. Thank Goodness! I was having trouble with my feed dogs not staying up. I thought it was a spring or something that needed a trip to the shop. After searching on the internet to find out how to take it all apart-I found so much lint packed under there it looked like felt. I got it all cleaned out and she runs like a champ now! Like having a new machine.

I did that once, it was unbelievable, and now I try to clean it at least once a week if I am doing a lot of sewing.

I finally got every thing back together and it sews SEW good. OMG how could I have gone so long without doing a better cleaning. I will be more dilegent after this.

Take off the plate over the feed dogs. That's the spot. Lint turns into felt, turns into cement if you don't get it out. Really small paint brushes are a godsend in this endeavor.

I heard that putting a straw through a hole in the bottom of a paper cup and then put the vacuum hose in the paper cup works. I tried it and it works well. Really gets all the lint out.

A few years ago I purchased a little vaccum cleaner attachment kit..to clean out all the lint and bunnies inside the sewing machine. It works great..just need to adjust the suction.

I have two industrial machines with motors mounted under the table. To avoid house calls I learned early to keep out the lint and threads (paint brush and tweezers). Only house call has been to replace a burned out motor with a larger one!

just think o fit this way,,, it is not lint,, it is company,, like the dust bunnies,,lol.. :-D

I am always shocked at how much lint is in there. You reminded me, I need to clean my machines again. Thanks.

It doesn't take long for the lint to build up if you use your machine every day for any length of time. I try to clean mine out every time I change my bobbin! It only takes a few minutes and saves me a headache in the long run!!

:lol: I bought a mini vac made to clean out machines [maybe from Clotilde] years ago and it does a great job,it has tiny attachments that fit my regular vac.
Worth its weight in gold.

I used to use a can of air and read on here that it has moisture and is not good fro the machine. I have used canned air for years and all three of mine are still working fine. Does anyone know for sure about using air? I think the next time I see one of those mini vacuums for computers , I will get one for my machines.

I READ ON HERE THAT I HAVE BEEN MISTREATING MY FEATHERWEIGHT FOR YEARS BY BLOWING OR USING CANNED AIR TO REMOVE THE LINT. NO,NO,NO,IT CAUSES CONDENSATION AND IS NOT GOOD FOR YOUR MACHINE. PLEASE LISTEN TO YOUR KINDRED SPIRIT FRIENDS AND DONT BLOW...I HAVE STOPPED ALSO. I GET SO MANY GREAT TIPS ON THIS SITE. NANA PAT

Another featherweight fan. How cool is that? I have other machines. I use my featherweight c. 1936.

I did not get the canned air. I think I got all the lint out, but I am gonna look for the mini vac for it. My vacumn will not work, I tried, cant get close enough to vacumn anything out.

It is so cool you tried this. I have been trying (since last week) to think of a method to make the vacuum nozzle small and pliable so I can worm it into the machine to pull the lint out. I decided the pliable part could be done with some of my aquarium air line but I haven't had time to think of a solution to reduce the vacuum nozzle hole down to the pencil size of the airline opening. The straw will do that.. We shall see. If I am successful I will update but it may be a week or two before I can play with it.

I bought the small vac attachment and used it for other things besides the sewing machine. My computer of course and cleaning out my window air conditioner. Its even cheaper now than when I bought it.
http://www.clotilde.com/list.html?cr...cuum&x=22&y=12

Nice. I haven't seen anything like this and that was the image I had in my mind to accomplish. You have saved me having to rig up something. Thank-you.

I clean mine every project, and could not believe how much I got out last nite!

I bought some new thread, long staple cotton, or so it said, I am sure that this is where the lint is from, grey lint, grey thread, yellow quilt. I am going to use it anyway, I bought a huge cone of it for piecing.

criteria=vacuum&x=22&y=12[/quote]
Nice. I haven't seen anything like this and that was the image I had in my mind to accomplish. You have saved me having to rig up something. Thank-you.[/quote]

Glad I could help

I have been having my husband use his air compressor to clean out my machines. It works great! Can't believe how much lint came out.

What a fantastic idea!!! If you were within my reach I would hug you!

One of the best ways to cut down on the lint that builds up in our machines is to use a better quality thread. I love aurofil because it isn't a linty thread. It's a long staple egyptian cotton from Italy that sews like a dream. And you get more bang for your buck. If you fill up your bobbin with Aurofil, it will last twice as long because it isn't a thick thread, which means it also doesn't take up much space in piecing. I do use other things but I never use Coats and Clark. Their thread is considered one of the worst out there, for construction, lintiness, and for durability. I love the thread from Collecting Threads but it is horribly linty and when I use it I find I have to clean out my machine every few hours. :( It wasn't until I started sewing for several hours a day that I noticed how different brands of thread leave or don't leave lint. I was also surprised at how quickly lint can build up.

I know a gal who collects sewing machines. She will buy any machine she finds in a garage sell. She says that 99 times out of a 100 the only problem with the machine is that it needs to have the lint cleaned out and oiled. That's it!

The lint can sure make a mess and make your machine just not work.

where do you get aurofil thread? i usually buy gutermans

I've tried other 100% cotton thread (including Aurofil), but always go back to Mettler 30 wt. for satin stitching. Putting in 6 to 8 hours a day teaches you real fast which thread is best for the task!

This is so timely for me...I have been getting lint blobs and now I know how to take care of it. Gosh, I love being able to learn from all you gals...

I've gotten into the habit of cleaning out the lint-trap areas every time I have to put in a new bobbin.

Glad for the reminder, too!!!

Glad I'm not alone. Repairman called to check for a suspected leak (refrigerator wedged in too tight for us to move). He assured us there was no leak underneath, tactfully expressing it as "the dust wasn't disturbed." I was a little hurt since I have "disturbed" it by jabbing around with a fabric-wrapped yardstick a few times since our son moved it out two years ago.

I use a small paint brush too. I've been tempted to use canned air or
vacuum but after reading a few things about those I'd rather not. It only
takes a few minutes anyway. I also noticed that those pre-cuts (jelly rolls,
etc) create a LOT of lint. So clean more often than you think. :D

We are supposed to look under the refrigerator??? I only make it into the refrigerator!

And under the stove??? lol

I've been warned NOT to use the canned air as it blows the lint further IN to the machine. Try a small vacuum hose to get it OUT of the machine more easily!!!

Glad I'm not alone. Repairman called to check for a suspected leak (refrigerator wedged in too tight for us to move). He assured us there was no leak underneath, tactfully expressing it as "the dust wasn't disturbed." I was a little hurt since I have "disturbed" it by jabbing around with a fabric-wrapped yardstick a few times since our son moved it out two years ago.[/quote]

My Mom gave me a shirt that says "What rolls under the fridge, stays under the fridge" She is more worried about my dust than I am!

I've never tried the Mettler 30 wt. I'll have to make a note to try it with satin stitching. Thank you for the suggestion!


Sally Collins passed around the thread she uses in one of her classes and it was a DMC embroidery thread. It was amazing. It had the same tensile strength as the aurofil I love but was just a smidge thinner, which would be great for piecing and getting those perfect quarter inch seams. I need to buy some and try it out.

I get aurofil from a LQS. A group of us kept bugging her to carry it. She finally did and I was lucky enough to go in the day after she got it and pick up a bunch. She had them marked down at her wholesale price (which is $5 cheaper than it is now). I made sure to spread the word and she was surprised at how quickly her stock ran out. She doesn't carry any colors though and I love using it for hand applique. It literally hand sews like silk. I'll have to find a good place online that carries it without charging a fortune. If you want to try it, Keepsake quilting sells a package with several different piecing colors (tan, neutral, black, white). If you don't want to buy the entire pack, get several friends together and split the pack and the price. I know sometimes paying $35 to try out a new thread can seem a bit extreme, but if you break that up with several other quilters it isn't so bad.